A 105kg haul of cannabis worth £1million was also seized as part of a crackdown named Operation Themis.

EIGHT people have now been arrested after a massive heroin bust in Italy.

They include dad-of-two John Weir, 33, who was questioned by Scottish drug detectives after the £3.2million consignment of the killer drug was seized from a lorry in Bari.

A 105kg haul of cannabis worth £1million was also recovered.

Haulage worker Weir was taken from the home he shares with wife Audrey Stirton, in Milngavie, near Glasgow, to Dumbarton police station, days after 43kg of heroin was grabbed by Italian police.

The swoop formed part of a Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency crackdown named Operation Themis.

Weir was the eighth person to be arrested following the raid in the Italian port on November 24.

Four men and one woman aged between 29 and 56 have already appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Matthew Edward, 47, David Hopkins, 29, Peter Gordon, 30, Tracy Ann Smith, 35, and Richard Harrison, 56, all face two charges of being concerned in the supply of drugs.

Smith is also facing two charges of being in possession of drugs.

Edward and Harrison were remanded in custody while the other three were granted bail.

A 30-year-old Scot and a 42-year-old Englishman are being held in an Italian jail.

Weir, who married 33-year-old Audrey, in 2002, didn’t appear in court and was freed pending further inquiries.

A source said: “Everyone is shocked that John has been quesioned by police.

“He’s always been a quiet guy. If you were to ask most people about John, they’d say he’s a good footballer – that’s what most people know him for.”

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: “The procurator fiscal at Dumbarton received a report concerning a 33-year-old male in connection with an incident occurring between October 13 and November 24, 2012.

“After full and careful consideration of the case by the procurator fiscal, the accused was freed pending further investigation.”

The SCDEA asked counterparts in Italy to search the lorry when it arrived from Greece.

After the operation, SCDEA director Gordon Meldrum said: “This is a significant haul of drugs that were destined for Scotland’s shores.

“Working with our Italian colleagues, we have put a stop to these drugs causing harm to Scottish communities.”

The drugs were found hidden in between boxes of bread sticks, which were destined for shipment to an address in Lancashire.

The bread sticks were made by a Greek manufacturer.

Their truck, which had British license plates, was seized by customs officers.

Ferries arrive in Bari from the Greek ports of Igoumenitsa, Patras and Corfu.